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WalMart Spoking!
Whilst WalMarting tonight, I chanced to notice a rack of
bicycles dangling by their front wheels near the front door. Hoping that this marked the expected arrival of a convention of rec.bicycles.tech posters, I scurried over to admire the latest in low-cost technology. Alas, these bikes seem to be aimed at the offspring of rec.bicycles.tech, not the more mature members. They were apparently single-speed Schwinns for both boys and girls of tender years. I was too fascinated by the wheels to notice the price, but I assume that it reflects the attention to detail exemplified by the colored dice used as valve caps. For the front wheel, Schwinn has settled on an 18-inch rim and 1.95" tire, with radial spoking and 36 straight-gauge black spokes that looked a bit thinner than normal spokes to me. For the rear wheel, Schwinn uses 28 equally slender spokes in a cross-2 pattern on a 16-inch rim with a 3.00" tire. (The training wheels employed solid purple plastic disks, possibly for reduced wind drag, possibly to use up a supply of wheels whose color was too embarrassing to be used on lawn mowers.) I considered inquiring if the two different spoke patterns had been stress-relieved, but the nearest clerk looked busy with a long line at the express checkout lane. Assuming a reasonably obese child commuting from kindergarten until a senior in high school, which spokes should we expect to fail first, front or rear? And why? I plan to take my spoke gauge next time and will naturally try to answer any questions concerning the details of the wheels. Carl Fogel |
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On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 05:12:08 GMT, "Phil, Squid-in-Training"
may have said: The "new" Schwinn Stingrays are based on the fad popularity of shows such as American Chopper and the like. Like with the Razor scooter, children will realize the error in their transportation/recreation choices, and by that time, they will have graduated to adult bicycles. May of them appear to have figured it out before the bikes ever got to the rack at Mall-Wart. -- My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature. Words processed in a facility that contains nuts. |
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A Muzi wrote:
wrote: Whilst WalMarting tonight, I chanced to notice a rack of bicycles dangling by their front wheels near the front door. Hoping that this marked the expected arrival of a convention of rec.bicycles.tech posters, I scurried over to admire the latest in low-cost technology. Alas, these bikes seem to be aimed at the offspring of rec.bicycles.tech, not the more mature members. They were apparently single-speed Schwinns for both boys and girls of tender years. I was too fascinated by the wheels to notice the price, but I assume that it reflects the attention to detail exemplified by the colored dice used as valve caps. For the front wheel, Schwinn has settled on an 18-inch rim and 1.95" tire, with radial spoking and 36 straight-gauge black spokes that looked a bit thinner than normal spokes to me. For the rear wheel, Schwinn uses 28 equally slender spokes in a cross-2 pattern on a 16-inch rim with a 3.00" tire. (The training wheels employed solid purple plastic disks, possibly for reduced wind drag, possibly to use up a supply of wheels whose color was too embarrassing to be used on lawn mowers.) I considered inquiring if the two different spoke patterns had been stress-relieved, but the nearest clerk looked busy with a long line at the express checkout lane. Assuming a reasonably obese child commuting from kindergarten until a senior in high school, which spokes should we expect to fail first, front or rear? And why? I plan to take my spoke gauge next time and will naturally try to answer any questions concerning the details of the wheels. Any similarity between those bicycle-shaped objects and my choice in transportation is purely coincidental and unrelated. I bet Tom Sherman would agree! Well, if I could not convince someone to get a recumbent, a Kettler from Yellow Jersey would make a practical commuter. I have never been one to sacrifice function for style; even my "fast and fun" bike has clearances for reasonably wide tires, a rear rack, and eyelets for a rear fender. -- Tom Sherman - Earth |
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avalon avalon avalon
but on the chopper-three chopper kids brung their rides out into my zoooooommmm pathn thru the burbs and boonies-all having considerable difficulty motivating the beastly pipe-aukward aukward-surley word of membrane will kill it. fogel left the outhouse for the wal!! the spoke pattern is a fad? avalon avalon, i can see your aluminum gleaming... ima ruminating on the prancing dragon appalachin mkyself |
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no slip and fall there.
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